Deadline
by Pikaseel
Summary: Charity Swan is a young girl with a strange disease, a disease that none of the doctors she's gone to can fix. What happens when there's a new family that moves into town?
1. Prologue

_** PROLOGUE **_

The steady beep of the heart monitor was the only sound in the small room, other then the quiet sobbing of the young woman who was holding onto an older looking woman, no doubt her mother, to keep herself up.

"Hush… she'll be alright…" The older woman said, rubbing the back of her daughter. The young woman only sobbed harder, looking to the small form in the incubator, a large mask over most of its face. Its small limbs only twitched now and then, but the doctors had said that was from spasm attacks that the infant was getting.

"But Mom, _look_ at her!" The young woman sobbed, letting go of her mother to put a hand on the incubator and kneeling down to look at the baby inside, barely alive. "My poor baby… please, just hold on…" She begged to the form as its arm twitched again.

The heart monitor started to pick up, going three times faster then it originally was. The small chest of the infant started to lift and descend quickly, having a panic attack. In no time, the room was filled with doctors that were yelling things hastily. One of them had a couple of nurses escort the two women from the room, so that they could work. The mother of the ill child sobbed out, reaching out to her child. "No! I want to stay with my baby!"

Once they were out of the room, the woman clung to her mother for dear life. The nurses wore a look of concern and sympathy. One put a hand on the crying woman's shoulder, to get her attention.

"I know that you're in pain right now, Ms. Swan, but Dr. Richards would like to speak to you privately." Ms. Swan sniffed and nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes as she followed the nurses to a private room. They opened the door to the room, showing Dr. Richards writing on a clipboard, but he looked up and gave the broken mother and sympathetic smile before standing up. "Please, Ms. Swan, have a seat." She obeyed and sat down in one of the seats, staring down at her lap.

"I understand what you are going through, Ms. Swan." He said as he flipped some pages on his clipboard, turning his chair to face her. "I, too, had a child that was on the edge of life." He looked up and had a frown plastered on her face. "Sadly, I don't have good news, only bad." Ms. Swan nodded slowly. She needed to hear this.

"Whatever your daughter has, we have never seen anything like this, so we don't have a cure for it…" He said, pausing to choose his next words carefully. "Unfortunately, since we have never come across this disease your daughter somehow developed when she was still in utero, we don't know if it's a deadly disease or not…" He sighed and took his glasses off to rub his eyes. "All we can do for now is watch and wait for a sign… I'm sorry Ms. Swan…"

She was in tears by now. Her child, the baby she had given birth to not even twenty-four hours ago, may not even survive to go through life. She stood up and looked to Dr. Richards. "Can I see my baby?"

His attention went back to her from his clipboard. "Of course."

She and her mother were escorted back to the room they were in before, now empty again. Her baby now had even more wires attached to her, one of which an IV. "I don't care what they say… you'll grow up to be beautiful and strong… My sweet, sweet Charity…"

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**Jeez, it took me long enough to figure out how to upload a flipping story! *slaps forehead* Anyway, this is the prologue for one of my many, many stories, so, tell me what you think, and I might possible put up the next chapter! :3**


	2. New Day of School

_**CHAPTER ONE**_

My quiet alarm went off at 6:30, and I hit the snooze button before I stretched. Today was the first day of school… yippee…

I sighed and pushed myself up, leaning back on one arm and rubbing my eye. The rain pattered on the window, like it always did, so it wasn't a big surprise when I heard it. I slipped out of bed and walked out of my room, into the hallway. My Mom and I moved here to Forks a few months after I was born, when I could handle a long drive. We had to buy a house that was two stories tall, but with rooms on the first floor. Why, you may ask? Because I can't go up stairs, or else my heart rate will quicken, and I'll pass out. We don't know what I have, but its some diseases that no one knows about. We've been to so many doctors in my seventeen years of life, that it's a surprise none of them knew what I had.

Luckily, we know mostly how to handle my panic attacks, my seizures, hallucinations, nightmares, sensitive bones, constantly several degrees hotter then I should be, and all the things I'm deathly allergic to. Yeah, I know, it sucks to be me. I walked out into the kitchen where Mom was making the perfect breakfast for someone like me. Bacon and eggs with water.

See, along with all those problems, I also can't have any sugar, or else it'll get my blood pulsing too fast and make it too hard for my heart to handle. What happens then? It stops. Simple as that. So yeah, sugar is a no go.

I sat down at the table just as Mom set down my breakfast, smiling at me in greeting. "Morning, sweetie." She said to me.

"Mornin'," I said back as I took a bite out of my bacon. Everyone always thought of me as a weirdo since I never ate any sugar, but they don't understand that I could die from it. And you have no idea how protective Mom is about all of that. She'd go over to their house and talk to their parents, infuriated that they made me cry. Then she'd come back over, tell me everything is alright, and watch a movie with me. In fact, she wouldn't let me eat anything from school. She'd always make me a bag lunch, just in case they had any sugar in their food.

I quickly finished my food, and got ready for school. I put on a black tank top that had a penguin on it in blue, along with some normal dark blue shorts. I grabbed my backpack, my lunch, and walked with Mom over to her Honda. Even though I was seventeen, I wasn't aloud to drive, because Mom didn't want me to have a panic attack while I was driving.

I looked out the window as we drove through the rain, resting my head in my hand. I was really tired of the rain, but we had to move here. We used to live in California, and it did nothing but make me even hotter. I remember that everyday after school I would lay in a bath of ice water. Heck, I _still_ do that…

Mom stopped the car in front of the Forks' high school. Only a few people looked at the car strangely, mainly because I wasn't driving it. Mom gave me a hug good luck before I stepped out of the car, getting my backpack from the trunk of the car. Again, I got strange looks because of my attire, but I paid no attention to it.

The people that I went to school with the last few years kept away from me, and I kept my head down. They all think that my disease is contagious, but I was _born_ with it. Of course, no one listens to me…

Almost everyone was murmuring, some about me and the rumors that spread, others about something else. I paid most attention to those conversations.

"There's a new family here…"

"The dad's a doctor…" Psh, I lost hope in doctors a long time ago…

"They're all so gorgeous…!" Apparently there were two girls and three guys, and were like models. The girls swooned when they even talked about the three boys, and the guys well, talked dirty things about the girls. I was probably the only one in this school that wasn't doing either. It's because I can't get close to anyone. Not that anyone wanted to get close to me though. I didn't want to risk anyone's health, or worse, their life, like mine pretty much is. Everyday I'm surprised that I wake up to see my room, and not puffy clouds…

School passed by like the same last year. I always had the farthest seat from everyone, a precaution that the teachers always took. In Gym, I sat on the bleachers, watching everyone else play volleyball. I wasn't aloud to play, because it would get my heart beating too fast. So I had to watch them play for a whole _hour_. And I have yet to see the new students everyone's talking about.

I walked to my next class, what class it was I didn't know. I never really paid attention to where I was going; my legs just moved on their own. I stepped into class, and I instantly felt hotter from the heater inside. I held in a groan of irritation as I walked in the back to one of the tables in the corners. I looked around, and saw that each table had two seats, so this must be… Trig…? No, no, Biology! Great… I _hate_ Biology!

I sighed and slumped back in my seat. In Biology, we were assigned partners, but me, I never had a partner. But because of that, Mr. Stuart would go 'easy' on me and make my homework a little easier then the others. That made them all angry at me, because they thought I was slacking off.

I set my backpack down on the seat beside me, seeing as all it would do here is collect dust, and sighed. I stared at the faces the showed up each time someone walked through the door, hoping to see one I didn't recognize.

John…

Nicky…

Alexandria…

Mary…

Aidan…

Susanna…

And that's when I saw them. Two of them. The boy had honey like hair, and towered over the girl next to him. She had spiky black hair, and yet she looked mature, though she was so small. Both of them had shadows under their eyes, like they never slept. They were breathtakingly beautiful.

Unfortunately for me… that saying was literal…

I heard it before I felt it. That one mistaken breath sent my heart in a frenzy, pulsing blood quickly through my veins. I could feel my heart beat, so hard it felt like it would burst out of my chest. I started breathing quickly, in sync with how fast my heart was going. Hastily, I pulled my backpack into my lap and ripped it open. I grabbed the paper bag that held my lunch, and dumped it all on the desk. Once it was empty, I put it around my mouth so I breathed into it. Eventually, my breathing slowed along with my heart beat, and I felt as if I had run a marathon. Though I couldn't, of course.

I coughed, feeling my chest burn more then the rest of my body was already, and felt the sweat fall down my face. Only three people were looking at me. Mr. Banner, and the two gorgeous people that entered the room. I didn't glance at their faces, in fear of having another episode. I laid my head on the cold table, and sighed as it cooled my forehead down, if only slightly.

"Ms. Swan, do you need to go to the nurse?" Mr. Stuart said, his voice closer then before.

"No, no…" I said and coughed again, rubbing my sore throat. "I-I'll be alright… It was nothing…" He stared at me for a moment before walking back to his desk and starting class. He had the two new students introduce themselves, to which I only listened to, not watch. Apparently the boy was Jasper Hale, and the girl was Alice Cullen. They took the seats on the other side of the room, at the empty table.

I slowly put my lunch back into my bag, not looking over at their table throughout the whole class. I didn't want to look at them, I didn't want to have another episode in here. Throughout the whole class, they kept giving me strange looks and murmuring to each other, making me feel self conscious. _Great…_I thought with a sigh. _Guess the other students told them how much of a freak I am…_

Right when the bell rang, I stood up as quickly as I could without making my heart go crazy again, and walked out of the door into the moist air. I sighed in relief, feeling the cold air hit my sweaty and hot face. I leaned against the structure of the building, feeling the cold touch of the wall touch my skin. It felt so good…

Someone accidentally bumped into me, and I ended up falling down onto the ground. He pretty much flipped out, jumping back and wiping at his shoulder. "AH! I touched her! I _touched_ her!!" He screamed, a look of disgust on his face as he looked at me. "Don't touch me! I don't want to get your _sick_ disease!" He yelled at me before he ran off. He didn't even acknowledge that _I_ was the victim here. I'm the one who has to deal with everyone thinking they'll get my disease, when it isn't contagious. I didn't realize it until I felt my arms were wet that I was sobbing, and I wiped at my eyes, controlling my breathing so my heart wouldn't accelerate. I got on my hand and knees and started to pick up my things that fell from my backpack, still sobbing. No one bothered to help, afraid that they would get my _sick disease_. I wish it was contagious! They deserve to have this curse like I did! I wiped my eyes again and stood up from the ground, feeling my knees burn. I ignored it as I walked to lunch, limping as I walked there. I went to my personally assigned table in the back, sitting down and starting to cry again silently.

"Their just jerks!" I muttered as I took out my lunch. A salad with tomatoes. "They don't get that this isn't a contagious d-disease!" I gasped, and quickly took control of my breathing again. "I-I hope they all b-burn! T-they deserve to h-have this disease! They're all i-idiots!" I didn't notice that I was squeezing the table until I felt my skin threatening to cut open. I pulled away and stabbed my salad, gritting my teeth. No one understands, no one understands the pain I feel everyday, all day.

When school ended, I sat on the curb, waiting for Mom to pick me up. I leaned forward, my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. I stared at my scraped up knees absent mindedly, thinking about what that guy had said.

Maybe I should be home schooled for now on? Or just drop out of school and live in the forest next to Forks? I shook my head when I saw Mom's car come into view, standing up.

_Don't deal with this right now… _I thought in my head as I got into the car. _Now is not the time to think these thoughts… it'll break Mom's heart…_ But, she didn't know how much this was breaking my heart, to be shunned like I had leprosy. It was tearing my sanity apart. Is there anyone out there that can help me with this? To take the pain away…?


	3. Topaz Eyes

_** CHAPTER TWO**_

"Is it getting worse…?"

The ice cubes clinked again the walls of the tub, drifting from side to side. I sighed and sunk deeper into the cold water, holding the cloth on my forehead.

"I've never had an episode from just looking at someone… but maybe it was because of how _beautiful_ they were…" I groaned and sunk down even deeper until the water was up to my chin. "I hate this… People terrified of me because of my disease… I almost _fainted_ today because of the new students!" I whined and stared up at the ceiling, frowning. "I wish I could be home schooled… that would solve all my problems." Or maybe it wouldn't? What if I just felt worse if I were home schooled? It's so confusing! I sat back up in the tub, making the water splash slightly and pushing the ice against the walls again. I grabbed my shampoo and squirted some into my palm, scrubbing it into my hair. "If only there was a _cure_ for this curse… But they would probably still avoid me, even if I was cured…" I pulled my eyebrows together as I thought hard. Every thought I had, there was always something bad that would happen. If I left, living on my own, I could have an episode, and no one would be there to help me. So that was out of the question entirely.

I was about to think of some other ideas, when I heard the faint footsteps from Mom as she made sure that I knew she was coming, so she wouldn't catch me by surprise. She opened the door to the bathroom, only a crack, so I could hear her.

"I'm going to work, Charity. Don't forget to call me if there's any problems, ok?" She asked me from the other side of the door.

"Sure Mom, love you." I replied as I rinsed out my hair.

"Love you too, sweetie." The door closed, and I heard her walk out of the house, followed by the car starting up.

I sighed and carefully stood up from the bathtub, draining it out and grabbing a fluffy white towel on a rack. As I dried myself off, I started thinking about those two new students in class.

_No!_ I shouted in my head, shaking it. _Stop thinking about them! They're just ordinary students!_ I wrapped the towel around my body and walked out of the bathroom, across the hall to my room.

Letting the towel drop to the ground, I grabbed got dressed into a black white beater that was slightly baggy, along with some denim shorts. I walked out of my room into the living room and sighed, looking to one of the photos of when I was born.

Needless to say I looked like a creature from hell.

The photo showed my with tubes in my throat so I could breath, along with a large mask to cover my face so I didn't get any bacteria in my body, because at that time it would've killed me. My skin had been so pale, it resembled chalk.

The next photo to that one was when I was a few months old. I was still chalk white, but now I had a bit of bronze hair and Mom's large brown eyes with some green specks in them. Mom had said that I got my hair from my Dad, whoever he is.

See, apparently Mom had fallen in love with some student at the same high school here, surprisingly. So it seemed at first he couldn't stand her, but as time went on they became close. From what she's told me, about a year after they first met, he had taken her to the woods and told her that he didn't love her.

And that was the day she was going to tell him that she was pregnant with me.

She had been so torn by that, she just completely shut down. Heck, my Grandpa Charlie said she had jumped off a cliff! I'm surprised that hadn't affected me. Or maybe that was why I was so sick? No, that couldn't be it.

I looked to the next photo of me on my fifth birthday. I had gotten color into my skin by then, but I was still deathly white. She says I get that from my dad. Sometimes I even wonder if he's alive…

Anyway, the only photos on the wall were of me, occasionally with a family relative in them, or one of our friends at the La Push reservation. The men there are huge, like giants.

I plopped down on our comfy couch and flicked the TV on to Discovery Channel. There was a special on sharks, so I kicked back and watched the show.

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I was freshening up on my Spanish when I heard the door open and close, followed by Mom saying, "Charity! I'm back!" I got up from my bed and marked my spot in my book, walking out to give Mom a welcome back hug.

"How was work?" I asked conversationally. Mom worked at a restaurant in Port Angeles, so she's often gone for at least three hours at the least, seeing as how far away it was.

"Busy. There was a reservation for sixteen people." She said and took her coat off, putting it away. "Apparently they were celebrating something. Not sure what though,"

I laughed softly and smiled to her. "Sounds like you had a stimulating day then, Mom." She smiled back to me kindly and ruffled my hair. "Yeah, I'm going to head to bed, alright? Make sure you go to bed soon, too." She said to me and started up the stairs. I nodded and waved lightly at her. "Alright Mom, night!"

"Goodnight," She said back and disappeared into her room.

Out of the whole time I've lived here in this house, never have I been upstairs. I don't know at all what it looks like, or what's up there. Mom says that it's just like downstairs, and to not obsess about it.

I walked back into my room, taking my Spanish book off the bed and setting it on the desk next to my computer.

Not bothering to get changed into some pajamas, I fell down on my bed, sprawled out, and instantly fell into a blissful sleep…

_I was running. Though I couldn't see anything, I knew I was running. I could hear the thudding of my heart beat in my ears, blocking out all other sounds that may be surrounding me. Wherever I went, the darkness followed. Trees loomed over head, their shadows falling down on me. I could scarcely make out the outline of the full moon high in the sky, slightly hidden behind the clouds. Not a star in the sky. _

_I gasped when I tripped over something and saw the earth coming up fast, and I closed my eyes, awaiting the pain of the fall. But there was none._

_Instead, I felt something cold grip me on both sides of my waist, and I was yanked upwards, making my head ache when everything moved fast. _

_I was twisted around to wherever the cold things were coming from, and froze when I saw two red orbs, staring at me like a piece of meat._

_The figure let out an animalistic snarl from somewhere in their chest, and I screamed when I felt a horrible pain in my neck._

_Suddenly I was on the ground, feeling as if I was in a fire, flames licking at my body. I heard something that resembled thunder clashing, but it was close by._

_I could hear snarls and ripping in the thunder clashes, as I lay there, forgotten, writhing in pain._

_That's when the red eyes appeared again, and I felt a searing pain in my chest, and everything faded to white…_

I gasped when the clock buzzed, and instantly was sent into a fit of coughs and gags, sitting upright and putting my hands to my throat.

After I got my breathing under control, I looked over to the clock to see it was time to get ready for school. I felt relief flood over me and sighed. "It was just a dream… a really twisted, screwed up dream…" I murmured and pushed myself out of bed, stumbling to get my footing.

I walked into the bathroom and took a nice ice cold shower, and then went into my room to get dressed. I pulled on a short sleeved navy blue blouse with baggy sky blue Capri pants that went down to my knees. I never had to worry about boys, seeing as they all feared to get close to me. I grabbed my backpack off the floor and walked into the kitchen, swiping up some bacon that Mom made for me.

"We need to get going, you slept in today." Mom said as she dried her hands, and I nodded.

"I'm ready," I said while following her outside to the Honda.

Once I got to the school, I gave Mom a kiss on the cheek goodbye and walked to school, again being shunned from everyone.

School went by the same as yesterday, but in Biology I made sure to keep my head down at all times when the two new kids came in, once again staring at me throughout the whole session. I eagerly got up when it was time to go to lunch, keeping my eyes down on my flip flops as I left the classroom.

I sighed in silent ecstasy when I felt mist hit my face. Ah… way better then indoor heating. I let myself smile softly in content as the light water cooled me off a little, but sadly it was short lived when I stepped into the cafeteria and was met by the horrible thing that's heating. I felt my smile drop as I walked over to my table.

"Well… it was nice while it lasted…" I murmured with a sad sigh, grumbling to myself and plopped down at my table, pouring my lunch out.

Ham sandwich with sugar free pudding. My eyes brightened and I grinned brightly, my sour mood quickly vanishing.

"Alright! Go Mom!" I cheered, making students stare at me. I didn't care. Completely ignoring the sandwich, I swiped up the pudding and opened it up, grabbing a plastic spoon from my bag and taking a bite. Oh yeah… that's good. I smiled and kicked my legs slightly as I took another bite, enjoying the sweetness of the pudding without having to worry about suddenly falling onto the ground dead.

I decided to look around the cafeteria as I ate my pudding with glee, making sure to make it last though and not eat it all at once.

By now everyone was ignoring me again, but I didn't mind when I had me some pudding. I glanced over at the table that the 'popular kids' sat at, laughing and gossiping like they've always done.

I sighed and shook my head in slight pity. I blinked when I felt eyes on my back and straightened up, turning around in my seat to meet a pair of bright topaz eyes, staring at me intently.


	4. Confrontation and Questions

_** CHAPTER THREE**_

I could help but gasp when I saw the five white students, even paler then I was! The one who was staring at me had untidy bronze hair, and was insanely gorgeous. I suddenly felt my chest throb and scream in agony and I gasped again, this time because I was unable to breathe. I only vaguely saw his look of horror, because I twisted around and leaned forward, trying to catch my breath.

People started staring as I swiped my bag and started breathing in and out into it with labored breaths, but it barely helped. I could start to see stars in my sight, everything going cloudy. Before I passed out, the only thing that went through my mind was _"Oh my g0d... I'm going to die…"_ then everything went black…

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There wasn't anything that I could see, yet I could hear just fine. There was an annoying beeping sound to my left, and I instantly recognized it as a heart monitor. I knew this from the countless times I've visited hospitals. I could make out the sound of humming, which I guessed were people talking. I let out an involuntary groan and moved my head to the side, my vision slowly returning.

"Ugh… I have a headache…" I muttered to myself and put a hand over my eyes to block them from the bright light overhead. I felt exhausted, and it was like there was a heavy weight being pressed down on my chest, making me cough horribly.

"G0d… this is worse then the last time…!" I said in exasperation, not caring if whoever was here was staring at me like a lunatic. I was used to it.

When my eyes adjusted to the bright light, I pushed myself up from my uncomfortable position, looking around the room. Apparently I was wrong. There wasn't anyone in here. The humming must've come from my ears then.

I sighed in irritation to myself and rubbed my eyes with my index fingers. "Why did they bring me here…?" I hissed under my breath and looked around. I was obviously in the nurse's office. Where they got the money to get a heart monitor was beyond me.

I pulled the weird clamp that kept track of my heart rate off of my middle finger, jumping off of the bed. My vision spun slightly and a stumbled, leaning against the bed as I breathed in deeply to calm my heart down.

Once it was at a more regular pace, I walked to the door and pushed it open. The nurse, I forgot her name, jumped up from her seat in shock.

"Miss Swan! You should be resting! You passed out at lunch." She said and came toward me, but I stepped back and held my hands up.

"I'm fine." I reassured with a fake smile that I used a lot. "I just lost my breath." She looked at me warily, but didn't say anything else. "How long was I out?" I asked.

"… For about thirty minutes, so lunch is almost over…" She said, and before I allowed her to say anything else, I walked over, grabbed my bag, and walked out into the moist air.

As long as I wasn't dead, I didn't care about what happened. That's all I wanted for now. Is to live. Who knows what would happen to Mom if she lost her only daughter? I felt a pang in my heart thinking about that, but quickly pushed it away.

"I'd never leave her like Dad did." I said in determination, frowning. I zipped open my backpack and shuffled around, pulling out my cell phone and dialed in Mom's number.

I only had to wait for three rings when she answered in a panicked voice, "Hello? Charity? Is everything alright? Did something happen? Are you-"

"Mom!" I broke in to her hysterics and had to laugh weakly at how she always over reacts. "I'm fine! But I passed out at lunch," She took a large intake of breath on the other end. "But I'm fine now. I just got shocked by something…"

"Do you want me to come and pick you up, sweetie?" She asked, now calmer. I smiled softly.

"Yes, that would be great if you could. I don't feel like dealing with any of the people here…"

The dial tone took place, and I knew that she was already on her way here. I sighed and flipped my phone shut, putting it in my backpack and slipping that back on.

"Oh Mom…" I said and shook my head, reaching the parking lot. I sat down on the curb, resting my hands in my lap. I stared at a lone blue jay that flew onto a bush and chirped noisily, hopping from branch to branch.

"Wonder what it's like to be a bird…" I mused and closed my eyes, resting my head on my knees, trying to relax. I jumped slightly, but luckily was able to keep my heart rate in check, when I heard a roaring engine, nothing like our Honda.

I looked up from my lap, and instantly grinned widely. "Uncle Jacob!" I said and hopped up, giving him a large hug. He wasn't my real uncle, but I considered him to be one. Jacob chuckled deep in his throat like he does and wrapped his long arms around me. I always hated how warm he was, but I never complained about it.

"Hey there, squirt!" He said cheerily and ruffled my hair with a wide grin plastered on his face. "Your Mom called, asked for me to come and get ya."

I brightened even more. I'd have to remember to thank Mom later.

"Sweet! I get to ride on the bike then?!" I said in excitement, and he nodded enthusiastically. He handed me a helmet and buckled it on, slipping on behind him and wrapping my arms around his waist.

He was about to gun the engine when I heard something like a snarl that sent shivers up my spine.

I felt Jacob shift and felt his muscles ripple under his skin, something that happened to him when he gets angry.

"What're _you_ doing here?" Jacob said in a voice I never heard him use. I blinked and looked to where he was staring and froze, almost having an episode.

It was those five new students from before, and all of them were glaring hard at Jacob.

"And what about you _mutt_?" The tall blond hair girl hissed, but even though it was filled with so much acid, it still sounded beautiful. Then I realized the last part she said. Mutt?

I looked over to Jacob with a stumped expression, but he was still glaring hard at the new students.

"Uncle Jacob… what's going on?" I said warily, and all of their eyes flashed to me, making it hard to control my breathing. Obviously Jacob noticed and growled warningly at the students, lifted me up and easily putting me into his lap as I felt my heart rate quicken.

"Get out of Forks, otherwise I'll tell Sam about this." Jacob growled out and then gunned the engine, and we were suddenly speeding off down the road.

I clutched his thin shirt in shock and squeezed my eyes shut as I started to cough violently, my body convulsing.

We made it to my house in no time though, and he quickly turned off the bike and knelt down in front of me, looking me in the eyes with his black ones.

"Charity, listen to me. Just breathe. In and out… in and out…" He said in a rush, showing me an example to help me follow. Mine were staggered though, and I was gripping his muscular arms with my shaking hands.

After a few moments, I was able to calm down and he lifted me up into his arms with ease.

"Let's go inside and get you something to eat." He murmured, walking into the house after unlocking the door with the key under the mat. I closed my eyes as he set me down on the couch, walking into the kitchen to get some things.

I sighed and rested my head back, kicking my flip flops off and tugging the helmet off of my head.

Why was Jacob so rude to the new students? How come that blond girl called him a mutt? How come they were all snarling and growling like animals? I sighed and slowly shook my head, my brain throbbing.

I felt Jacob plop down beside me, making me bounce slightly at my seat. He handed me a bowl of carrots with some ranch when I opened my eyes, he having a bag of Doritos.

"Thanks Uncle J." I said and took a carrot, dipping it in the ranch and taking a bite.

"No problem." He said, distracted by something. I didn't ask though. Instead we just watched some horror movies on the Fox.

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Mom came back at around four, apparently when I called her she had been at work. She greeted Jacob and me warmly then went into the kitchen to start dinner.

I looked over to Jacob and bit my lip slightly. "Um… Uncle Jacob?"

"Hm?" He asked and looked to me from the movie that was playing.

I looked down to my lap, staring at the bowl that used to have carrots in it. "Um… what was… my Dad like?" I could feel him tense and I glanced up to him. "S-sorry… I just want to know… since I've never met him…" I said and sighed, looking up to the ceiling. "I want to know if he was nice or polite or alcoholic… anything…" I closed my eyes. "But you don't have to…"

He stayed silent for a moment before he sighed, shifting and I felt his large warm hand on my shoulder. "I guess it's the least I can do…"

I opened my eyes to look at him. "Really?" I asked hopefully, and he nodded. I grinned and gave him our signature teddy bear hug, and he chuckled at that. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I repeated before he carefully pulled me off.

"Alright, well where do you want me to start?" He asked as he sat me down on his lap.

"What did he look like?" I said instantly, resting my back against his chest.

"Hm… well…" He twirled some of my hair between his fingers. "He had your hair, but it was shorter," I laughed slightly.

"I know that, but what else?"

"Let's see… He was pale, like you are… Apparently all the girls here thought he was hot…" He said, and I think I could hear him frown at that. "Your Mom used to compare him to a male model…" I nodded slowly to show I understood, leaning my head back to look at him.

"How come he left Mom?"

He sighed at that, closing his eyes as he rested his head on his hand that was being held up by his elbow on the arm rest. "His family was moving, so he wanted to tell her the truth about how he felt before he left." He growled slightly. "Your Dad wasn't at all pleasant, Charity, nothing like how you are." He opened his eyes to smile to me, kissing my head. "You're kind, thoughtful, always think of people before yourself, even when you're so sick. He wasn't at all like that. He was just using your Mom, probably out of pity." He muttered.

Before he could continue, Mom walked in. "What're we talking about?" She asked, sitting down beside us.

Jacob looked to her and smiled. "Just chatting about worthless stuff," He wrapped one arm around me, and the other around Mom as she leaned in to his warmth.

I blinked and looked ahead at the TV. Dad was really like that? I frowned. That settles it. I thought of him as some kind gentleman, now I know better. I looked out the window. _Dad, wherever you are… I hate you…_ I thought icily and looked to see Mom smiling happily as she and Jacob talked. _You made Mom sad… and I hate anyone that makes my family sad…_


	5. It's Getting Worse

_** CHAPTER FOUR**_

That night I lay in my bed, just staring at the ceiling. A part of me hated Dad to the very core, wherever he was, but another part of my wanted to meet him… see what he was like… and _then_ hate him.

I sighed and rolled over to lie on my stomach, my head turned toward the window. "I wonder if other kids have this problem…?" I murmured to myself, watching the trees across the street move with the wind.

And through that night, I barely got an ounce of sleep. I was just about to fall asleep, too, when my alarm went off, and I groaned. "Aw man…" I complained and slammed my small fist on the snooze button, sitting upright and rubbing my eyes. "I don't want to go to school, dang it…" I got up from bed and dragged myself out of my room, into the kitchen. The smell of organically squeezed orange juice and sausages wafted to my nose and I blinked, looking to Mom.

"Hey Mom…" I murmured, not asking about the different breakfast today as I sat down in my usual seat.

"Morning honey," She greeted and set down a plate of bacon, eggs, sausage and a glass of orange juice. I glanced to the counter and smiled slightly, see the juiceless oranges scattered on the cutting bored.

She got herself a plate also, sitting across from me.

We were both silent for a while, until I had to ask.

"What's with the special breakfast, Mom?"

She glanced up to me and smiled softly, saying, "Honey, it's Saturday, remember?" I blinked and stared at her for a moment, looking over to the calendar.

"Oh right!" I said and laughed uneasily, taking a bite of my sausage. She laughed lightly and took a drink of her milk.

"You forgot the date again, didn't you?" She accused me, sending a playful scowl my way. I couldn't help but grin and put my hands up in defeat.

"Yes, yes, guilty as charged." I said, and we both laughed together. I liked these kinds of moments. Mom and I, laughing, as if I wasn't sick and there was nothing to worry about.

"Do we get to go anywhere later?" I asked hopefully after our laughter died down, stabbing an egg.

"I was thinking we could go up to the reservation and go to the beach." She suggested with a small smile. I gave her a smile back and nodded. "Sure, sounds good. As long as I don't fall into the water," I responded, momentarily remembering when I was eight and had done just that.

"Well of course we'll probably just look at the tide pools." She reasoned.

"That sounds better." I finished off my breakfast and tossed the plate in the sink.

"Why don't you go ahead and get ready? I'll clean up." She said as she got up from her seat, taking her dishes over to the sink.

"Sure," I walked back to my room when I remembered I had the same stuff I was wearing yesterday on. I sighed and tugged them off, searching through my drawers until I found some reasonable clothes; some loose fitting jeans and another white beater that read _"Angel with horns."_, something Grandma Renee gave me for my birthday. I tugged on some sneakers and tied them in a double knot, grabbing my fishing net that I used to catch fish, and walked out to see Mom jingling her car keys.

"Ready?" She asked, already heading out the door.

"Yup," We walked over to the Honda, getting in and heading off to La Push. Mom put on some music and LMNT came on, and I had to sing with it.

"I think, you're fine! You really blow my mind! Maybe, someday, you and me can run away!" I sang.

"I just want you to know! I wanna be your Romeo! Hey Juliet!" Mom joined in.

"HEY JULIET!" We both said together and laughed.

"I love that song." I said after it ended. Sadly we had turned it on when it was half way over, so it was short lived. Mom nodded her head in agreement, and I could tell by looking at her eyes that she was thinking about something. No doubt _Dad_.

After about another fifteen minutes, we reached out destination. She turned off the car as I got out, stretching my arms in the air and popping my back loudly.

"Ow… didn't that hurt, honey?" Mom said as she got out, and I laughed.

"It's better then having it all knotted up." We walked down the rocky beach, over to the little path that led to the tide pools. We eventually got there, and Mom said to stay in sight.

I walked over to the closest tide pool and climbed up to sit perched on the rock, staring down at the life below me.

There was a small guppy coming my way, so I got my net ready.

Closer… closer…  
I fell backward when I seagull came diving down, snatching the guppy and flying off. Gasping, I clutched my heart as I was sent into a fit of violent coughs, curling up as my lungs burned, needing air.

"Charity?" Mom's worried voice came from a distance, but I couldn't respond. I was too busy trying to not fall into the tide pool and breathe at the same time.

"Charity!" Now she was yelling, and I could faintly hear her shoes crunching on the rocks as she came over. "Charity! Charity you need to look at me honey!" She said and held my head in her hands, staring at me with those big brown eyes of hers.

I tried to calm her down, but talking just made my body shake with another cough.

"Oh g0d, Charity, Charity look at me sweetie." I did as she was told, though I could barely see through the tears the blurred my vision. Everything was hurting now. And my coughs just wouldn't stop.

"Listen to me, honey, you need to calm down." She said in that voice she used in these situations. "Just breathe deeply, just try and breathe."

I tried to, but when my lungs were halfway filled with air the pushed it right back out like I was punched in the chest.

"Come on, I know you can do it!" She urged me, and I think she was crying to, her hands shaking on my face. "Just try again."

I continued to cough for a few moments, and then took in a huge, shaky breath, letting it out slowly.

"Good, good… now, do it again…" She murmured and I felt myself being lifted up into her lap while I continued trying to control my breathing.

It took a while, but eventually my heart slowed along with my coughs, and I was just sitting in her hold, silently sobbing. I felt my hair getting wet, and now I was positive she was crying.

"That was too close…" She whispered and kissed my head, rocking me slightly. "I don't know what I would've done if I lost you…"  
I sniffed, feeling like a child right now. Here I was, being comforted by my own Mother, as if I had just tripped and cut my knee on the road.

I slowly looked up to her pained eyes, wiping my tears away as I murmured, "Mom… it…. It's getting worse…"

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We drove back to Forks in silence, not wanting to talk after the incident. Mom was still crying softly, because occasionally I would see a tear fall. I had my knees up to my chest with my arms wrapped arm them, staring out the window at all the trees.

_Why does this have to happen to me? _I thought to myself and shook my head. _What did I do to deserve this horrible disease?_ I knew it was ridiculous talking to someone in my head, but I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't go to Mom, it would make her feel like a bad mother. Jacob would no doubt tell her, along with pretty much everyone else I know in my family. I don't have any friends to turn to either.

Right then I could've sworn I saw something flash by in the trees, but when I looked ahead, there wasn't anything there. Just my imagination running off again.

I sighed when we pulled up to the house, unbuckling my seatbelt and stepping out.

I walked right inside, through the living, into the kitchen, and out the backdoor to our backyard. I took a few steps before falling down backward on the grass, staring at the trees that outlined our whole backyard.

"… This sucks…" I finally said and laid back to stare at the cloudy sky, not having to worry about getting a glimpse of the sun and injuring my eyes. It was considered a miracle for there to be sun here, the same thing with snow.

"I at least just wanna get rid of being hot all the time…" I grumbled and rested my arms on the cold, wet grass beside me, groaning in irritation. "I feel like I'm in a freaking microwave! Gah!"

"Charity?" I lifted my head back to see Mom at the backdoor, looking at me worriedly. "Are you alright…?"

With a sigh, I said, "Yeah Mom… just thinking if I would feel more comfortable out in the backyard…" I said, trying to lighten the mood as I faked a smile. "I get a great view! Plus I could even go camping over in the woods!" At this she laughed softly.

"You might be hotter then other kids, sweetie, but that doesn't mean you still wouldn't get a cold." I snorted at that, giving another grin.

"Give me a cold any day! At least I wouldn't have to bathe in ice water anymore!" She smiled sadly and sighed.

"I'm going to take a nap, so don't be going out into town, got it?" She said, going to mother mode.

I sat up and turned around to face her, giving a salute. "Yes, ma'am!" She gave me a salute back and walked into the house.

Instantly when the door closed my frown came back and I fell down onto the cold grass, letting it wash over me. "Pff… ma'am…" I muttered with a sigh. "Weird…" I curled up in the grass as I relished the coldness that made my skin go numb, even though I was still extremely hot on the inside.

Before I even realized it, I had fallen asleep…


	6. I'll Call You Vanilla

_** CHAPTER FIVE**_

I was woken up by something tickling my nose, and I slowly opened my eyes to meet bright pink ones. I blinked a few times and scooted back to see that the pink eyes belonged to a white rabbit, its nose twitching. It hopped over and sniffed my nose again, making it tickle a little.

"Hey little fella…" I said softly, so as not to scare it away. Slowly, I sat up, and it became wary for a moment, but then hopped onto my lap, continuing on with its investigation.

I smiled slightly, leaning back against my hands as it hopped down and started chewing on some grass.

"You're a cute little thing, aren't you?" I said and lay down on my side again, just watching the white rabbit it away at the grass. Hesitantly, I reached a hand out, and it jumped backward, its ears high up. Neither of us moved, until it crept closer and sniffed my hand. When it started eating again, I lowered my hand and lightly scratched it on the head. It froze for a moment, but apparently it sensed no danger from me, and continued on with its little supper.

"I think I'll call you… Vanilla," I said and smiled. "Seeing as you're so white…" I sighed and rested my head on the grass. "You and me are a lot alike, huh Vanilla? You probably get teased by the other rabbits because you're so different…" I murmured and gently lifted it up, and it didn't seem to mind. "At least we freaks have each other." I smiled and set Vanilla in my lap, stroking its back slowly. "You know what? You're braver then all the students in school, Vanilla." I praised the rabbit as it chewed on the fabric of my jeans. "None of the kids at school get this close to me, yet you can do it just fine." I sighed and continued petting it. "Life's just cruel that way, isn't it..? I mean, look at me." I laughed gently. "I'm talking to a fur ball, no offense of course, because I'm so deprived of company." I sighed and looked down to it.

It only took a simple snap from a branch in the trees to ruin the moment, for Vanilla's ears shot up, and it jumped out of my lap into a bush. I stared that way for a long while and sighed, slowly standing up. "Later Vanilla…" I said over to the bush. "Try and keep safe from the bad foxes." I turned and walked up the steps, going inside.

Mom was in the living room, watching TV. She looked over to me when the door shut. "There you are." She said and smiled. "I was starting to worry about you."

I forced a smile for her. "Sorry, I dozed off." I admitted. "I'm just going to go study for a bit…" She nodded and looked back to the TV while I walked into my room, sitting down at my computer. There was no need for studying, I didn't really have any homework.

I turned computer and waited for a few minutes as it booted, then went to the web.

This is what I normally do, if I wasn't reading or spending time with Mom. I just surfed the web. I looked at the daily news for Washington when a title caught my eye.

_**Body of Liana Prince found in a dumpster in Port Angeles. Corpse appears to be completely drained of blood.**_

"Drained of blood…?" I murmured and blinked. "Wait a minute…" I stood up from my chair and walked over to my bookcase, shuffling through them and grabbing my mythological book. I flipped through the pages quickly, until I found what I was looking for.

"Vampires subsist by feeding on the blood of the living…" I quoted and looked to the slightly disturbing photo on my computer. "Then… that means…"

I looked from the book in my hands to the photo on my computer. "There are… vampires… in Washington…?!"

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"Charity! Dinner's ready!" Mom yelled from the kitchen, and I jerked my head up. It's been about an hour and a half since I came up with the assumption that vampires were in Washington, and I've been going through theories in my head, such as "But they couldn't come out in the daylight! But it is hardly ever sunny…" and "I thought they lived in England and Transylvania! Not America!" plus the most recent one "Maybe it's just some goth kids playing a horrible prank on people…"

The last one was what sounded best, even if it was macabre. I got up from my bed and quickly put my book away, closing the window on my computer and walking out to meet Mom in the kitchen.

We ate in silence for a long while, she occasionally looking up to me and myself keeping my gaze at my plate.

Finally she sighed and said in a grave tone, "Honey, I'm your Mother, and I can easily see something's bothering you." I then looked up to her and blinked. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

I stayed silent for another moment then slowly shook my head. "No Mom, it isn't important… just teenager stuff…" I lied, stabbing my salad. Unlike Mom, I was great at lying, though I hated doing it. I always felt guilty having to do that to my own Mother. There was a knock on the door and I lifted my head, standing up. "I'll get it…" I said and walked out into the living room, unlocking the door and opening it to see Jacob.

"Oh, hey Uncle Jacob," I said and smiled, giving him a hug hello.

"Hey there squirt, sorry for coming unexpectedly, but do you think it would be alright if I could crash here with you and your Mom? Pop's having the house fumigated." He said, but when I looked in his black eyes, there was a hint of hastiness in them.

"Sure, come on in, we're having dinner." I said and left the door open for him, walking into the kitchen.

"Mom, Uncle Jacob wants to know if he can spend the night here while his house is fumigated." I said while Jacob crouched down to get in through the door, smiling to Mom.

She blinked and then smiled. "Of course, you're welcomed to stay as long as you need to." Then she tilted her head and asked, "Don't you usually stay at Emily's when things come up?"

He seemed to falter slightly then grinned sheepishly. "The gang's been hanging there a lot more now, so I don't want to deal with it." He said and flopped down in a chair that looked as if it would break from his sheer size, but it luckily stayed up.

"We have some leftover pasta if you'd like some?" I said, taking a drink of water. His mouth pulled upwards to a huge grin.

"Awesome," He stood up from the chair and grabbed a plate, scooping himself a large helping of it before sitting back down beside me.

"Dang, why do you eat so much?" I said and laughed slightly as I nibbled on a piece of lettuce.

His loud laugh echoed from the walls. "Hey, I'm a guy. Guys eat a lot!" He said in his defense, taking a forkful of his pasta and stuffing it into his mouth.

I rolled my eyes as Mom and Jacob started talking to one another. He was always like that. So childish even though he was twice my age, but he didn't look like it. It wasn't uncommon for him to do something immature, like when he challenges Mom to a belching contest, which is quite the sight to see, trust me!

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I brought some blankets into the living room as Jacob somehow managed to fit on the couch without falling off. "Here's some blankets Uncle Jacob," I said and tossed them to him, which he easily caught.

"Thanks squirt." He said while he unfolded them and draped them over himself.

I stayed silent for a moment, just looking at him, until he realized I hadn't left and looked to me.

"Need something?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was wondering…" I started off, looking to the side. "Why your dad would fumigate his house so suddenly…?"

He didn't say anything for a moment and sighed, rolling over to look at me. "It's complicated, squirt, so it isn't something that I can tell you right now alright? Maybe some other time,"

I nodded my head slowly and gave him a hug. "Night Uncle Jacob," I said and walked to me room.

"Night!"

I closed my door softly and sighed, changing into some pajamas and slipping under the covers, enjoying the coldness in them while it lasted.

Before I knew it, I woke up from the pitter patter of the rain landing on my window softly. I breathed in deeply and stretched my limbs out to get rid of the kinks. Looking over to my clock, I realized that I had forgotten to set the alarm, and I had slept in. I sat up and rubbed my eyes as I yawned widely, then got out of bed and trudged out to the living room.

Mom and Jacob were up already, watching a movie on ABC Family. I said good morning to them and walked into the kitchen, grabbing some soy milk and sugar free cereal. Yes, I know that sounds disgusting, but, if you add fruit slices in it, it's better.

I started cutting up a banana, making sure not to slice my finger in the process. I scooped up the slices and dumped them into my bowl of cereal, walking out to the living room and plopping down in our loveseat.

"How did you sleep, squirt?" Jacob asked me when a commercial came on and glanced over my way.

I shrugged my shoulders and scooped up a banana from my bowl. "Alright, but I didn't mean to sleep in."

He grinned widely at me. "That's the point of the weekends! To sleep in!" He stretched his long arms out to his sides, Mom having to lean back so she wouldn't get hit.

I smiled slightly to him. "Yeah, but I don't want it to become a habit."

He snorted at that. "Habit shmabit! You only get to be young once!" I simply nodded my head and went silent when the movie came back on.

Once the movie was over I stood up and put my bowl away in the kitchen.

"Hey Mom? Would you trust me if I walked down to the Thriftway?" I asked, glancing over to her.

She bit her lip, looking back to me. "I'm not sure… what if something happens?" Jacob snorted and patted Mom on the back.

"Come on! I'm sure if she can go to school she can walk down to the grocery store!" He said and rolled his eyes.

She looked uneasy for a moment, before sighing and saying, "Alright… but you need to be careful, got it?" She gave me a hard look and I quickly nodded.

"Yup, thanks Mom!" I walked back into my room and changed into a black tank top and dark blue jeans, grabbing my wallet and walking out the door.

I sighed when the wind hit me in the face, cooling me down a bit. "Ah, how I love the cold…" I muttered as I headed toward the store.


	7. Meeting Jasper Hale

**Lol! What do ya know, two chapters in one day! XD Well I finished this one just minutes ago, and I really liked it. :3 So enjoy another chapter, because soon enough I'll probably become stumped. LOL**

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With extreme luck that I never knew I could have, I arrived at the Thriftway without any panic attacks, and I was grateful for that. Nothing I hated more then to cause stares when I fall down on the sidewalk, screaming.

I stepped in through the sliding glass doors, the sound of the wind rushing past me replaced by 70s music.

Grabbing a grocery cart, I walked down the aisles, randomly tossing things into the cart when I remembered that we were running low on something. Most of it though was just things that I could _eat_ and not gag from how horrible it would taste. Like, anything that was made with Splenda instead of actual sugar.

I was looking at some sugar-free gum when I felt something bump into my leg. Confused, I looked down and blinked, then smiled.

It was the Newton's kid. He wasn't really that old, probably only three at the least.

He stood up from the ground and grabbed the chocolate bar he had before looking up to me with one of his bright smiles, a front tooth missing.

"Hi Chairty!" **(A/N: I spelled it like that so it didn't sound like an 'r' instead of 'chair')** He said, pronouncing my name wrong.

I laughed a little. "Hey yourself, Johnny." I said and knelt down to look at him better.

"Where's your mom?"

"She says I can have a candy!" He told me in excitement, and I couldn't help but feel the twinge of envy I felt that he could have any candy he wanted without having to risk death.

"That's great!" I said in a happy tone, hiding away my sadness. "Just don't eat it too fast, or else it'll be gone before you know it."

He nodded his head quickly until we were interrupted by a panicked voice saying, "Johnathan! Where have you been?!"

Jessica Newton, one of Mom's old fellow high school students, rushed over and picked up little Johnny.

"Mo-ommy!" Johnny said, dragging out the 'o'. "You says I could have candy!"

"I know, but you… were taking too long." I knew what she was referring to, especially when she glanced to me from the corner of her eye. "Charity,"

"Mrs. Newton," I replied, nodding my head slightly. She didn't say anything else as she briskly walked off, still holding Johnny.

He leaned over her shoulder and waved at me wildly, candy bar still in handy. "Bye Chairty!"

I smiled to him and waved back, sighing when they were out of sight. Why Mr. Newton married such a shrewd I'll never know…

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I walked back home with the bag of food in my hand, pushing the door open with my left shoulder.

"Mom! I'm home!" I noticed that Jacob wasn't on the couch, watching TV, so he must've gone home.

"In the kitchen dear," I heard her call, and I walked in, putting the bag on the table. "How was the store?"

"Fine," I pulled out the items and put them away in their respectable places, tossing the plastic bag away.

I went upstairs later to do some homework, since it was Monday tomorrow. And when it was time for dinner I came back downstairs to see Mom making some vegetable stew, minus the chicken broth. So technically it was just veggies cooked in hot water.

I sat down at the table as she gave me a bowl, getting her own dinner and sitting across from me.

We ate silently for a while, the only noise coming from our utensils when they clinked on the bowls when we set them down.

"… So I heard there's a new family here…" Mom said after a long silence, not looking up from her dinner. It wasn't surprising that she heard about it, seeing as this town is so small.

I shrugged my shoulders, saying, "Yeah, they're getting a lot of attention at school. It's always a big deal when we have new students or something."

"Hmm…"

We fell back into the silence, and I stood up when I was done, putting my bowl in the sink. "I'm gonna take a bath and go to bed, ok?" I said as I made my way to the bathroom.

"Alright, night honey!" I heard her say just before I closed the door, choosing this time to go without the ice and turning it on as cold as it could get.

.

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School the next day started out fair enough.

I hadn't had a panic attack at all when a squirrel had jumped out from a nearby bush and darted by in front of me, so that was lucky.

In Biology, I kept my eyes right on the blackboard, trying my absolute hardest to pay attention. Of course I started to doze off when I realized that I had apparently studied farther then I had to, seeing as I was trying to get my mind away from disturbing thoughts.

I got woken up, however, when I felt something fall on the back of my hand. I lifted my head up slightly to see a crumpled up piece of paper that was resting right in the middle of my knuckles.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I picked it up, unfolding it under the desk so Mr. Stuart wouldn't see it.

_**Outside of the cafeteria after lunch, 1:00 sharp.**_

_**Come alone.**_

I swallowed hard at the two simple sentences writing on the paper, the handwriting made everyone else's, especially my own, look as if a child had written it.

The style of handwriting almost looked like something from the early 1900s, and that sort of scared me.

Why would someone want to meet _me_, or all people? Wasn't everyone afraid they would catch my incurable disease, afraid to become as vulnerable as I was right now?

I looked up and around the room, yet no one was looking at me, not even Mr. Stuart. My eyes fell on the two new students, who were staring at the board with unreadable expressions.

I shook my head and sighed, stuffing the note into my pocket. _Too strange…_

Lunch soon came around, and I was fidgeting in my seat as I ate. I never looked over to where the new students sat, afraid that I would pass out like last time.

It was a tricky thing, too, not to look over there. At times I would catch myself unconsciously turning my head in that direction, but I was able to keep my eyes to my table.

Then I looked up at the clock. Five till.

I sighed heavily and stood up, dumping what was left of my lunch away, all except for my paper bag, which I put in my back pocket. Better safe then sorry, I always say.

I stepped outside into the chilly air that felt like heaven on my extremely warm skin. I found my eyes closing and taking a large breath of the air that smelled of rain and pine trees. The smell calmed my tense nerves, that is until I could hear the resonating sounds of footsteps coming from around the corner.

They were slow and deliberately loud, so that must've meant they were from an older student that knew not to make my heart go haywire.

It didn't matter, I could feel it pick up only the slightest, and that had me take a sharp intake of breath and for the footsteps to stop for a moment.

They started up again after a while, and I let my gaze drop to the ground as I leaned my back against the building's structure.

The steps got louder and louder, until they stopped and I could see a pair of black shoes in my line of sight, but I didn't look up. I was nervous to, I wasn't sure what I was asked to come here, or why I came here willingly in the first place. What if something horrible happened to me and Mom was left to fend for herself? She already suffered a broken heart once, I don't want to cause another one-

"Hello," A musical voice rang in my ears, cutting my thoughts off. I kept silent for a moment, the voice echoing in my head. It sounded as if they were singing, which didn't make sense. Who sings while they're talking?

I kept my gaze on the new pair of shoes as the unfamiliar voice continued when I didn't reply.

"My name is Jasper Hale, I'm one of your classmates." I blinked at that.

So… this was one of the new students. Ok, I got to keep my heart under control. I took in a deep breath and slowly lifted my head upward, trying to keep my breathing and heart beat under control.

If he was inhumanly beautiful before, he was even more now that we were about three feet apart.

His honey blond hair was spiked, sort of like his girlfriend's hair is like. His eyes were a strange shade of yellow, like a topaz, it made me blink a few times. _Probably contacts_.

I realized he was waiting for my respond, so I took another breath and said, "I-I'm Charity, Charity Swan."

His eyes seemed to widen slightly, but composed his face so quickly that I wasn't even sure if I saw right.

"Charlie Swan's daughter?" He asked.

I shook my head and smiled. "No, granddaughter."

He kept his face calm, but I could tell from his eyes that his was in utter shock. Ha, who would've thought that would be the big surprise? Wonder how he'll react when he gets the really big news…

At that moment the bell rang, and we both took a step away, him to the left, and me to the right. He looked to me as the students filed out of the cafeteria.

"I'll see you later, then," He murmured and walked off into the sea of kids, not giving me time to reply.

I stood there for a moment before sighing and going to my next class.

"Strange boy…"


	8. Attacked

**I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but I thought that was a good place to stop XD So I'm sorry that it's way shorter then the previous chapters! XD)**

The rest of school dragged on, I'm not sure why. It was either because I was getting bored, or the other choice, which I denied to myself, that I was hoping that Jasper would talk to me again.

I mean, could you blame me? I never had any socialism in public, when one of the new students talks to me. Me of all people!

Class ended then, and I jumped out of my seat, walking outside into the chilly air that only I liked.

I waited in the parking lot for Mom, watching the amount of students slowly start to decrease. My eyes fell on the fanciest car here, a freaking Volvo, which surprisingly… ok, unsurprisingly, the Cullen's and Hales slid into.

Even though I don't talk to anyone, it doesn't mean I don't know as much as everyone else. Apparently their father, well, adoptive father, gets a ton of money for his job as a doctor. That had me laugh. In my point of view, if there isn't a doctor that can find a cure for my disease, they aren't worth being called a doctor.

I kept my eyes on the road when the Volvo passed in front of me. I could've sworn it slowed down slightly, but I was probably just seeing things.

When the fancy car was out of sight, I saw Mom's Honda drive into the parking lot, stopping in front of me. She gave a smile, which I returned when I got inside the vehicle.

"How was school?" She asked, turning down the radio.

"Fine, got an A on my algebra quiz," I said, leaving out the part of meeting Jasper. I didn't want her to realize that no one ever talked to me, that wouldn't be wise.

"That's great honey!" She said enthusiastically as we drove onto the road. "You always were smarter then the other kids." I gave a sheepish smile to her. "Oh, and I have to work today, so will you be set to make your own dinner?" She looked at me warily.

"Of course, Mom." I said and rolled my eyes. "I've been home alone before, I think I can handle it again."

She still eyed me, but didn't say anything else.

After a few minutes of agonizing silence, we pulled into the driveway and got out. As I walked into the kitchen to grab a snack, Mom quickly changed and left for work, bidding me farewell.

Even though it was dangerous for me to be home alone, I always preferred it over having Mom hover around me, waiting for any sign that something was wrong. It made me feel like a guinea pig.

I sat down on the couch and flicked through the channels on the TV, nibbling on the end of my banana. I settled on watching CSI Miami and got comfortable on the couch as it started. It was a rerun of Ashes to Ashes, which I've already seen, but there was nothing else to watch.

Right when they were about to say who caused the murder of the priest, the doorbell rang through the house.

I sighed and got up from the couch, going over to the door and opening it.

Jacob stood on the doorstep, his black eyes tight. His mouth was set in a sneer, and his nostrils were flared. The muscles under his skin rippled, and I took a step back.

"U-uncle Jacob… what's wrong…?" I murmured.

An animalistic snarl came from his throat as he took a step forward, and in return I took another step back from him.

"Why do you l-look so angry…?"

Everything suddenly happened in a blur.

There was a horrible tearing sound, and I was thrown back across the room, falling onto my back on the floor. My breath left me in a whoosh when a heavy weight was pressed down on my chest.

I stared up in horror at the gigantic wolf above me, its lips pulled back to show it glistening fangs. It grabbed my arm in its teeth and threw me right through a window that shattered around me, and when I was still flying through the air, I was hit by one of the wolf's massive paws. I fell hard on my stomach, unaware that while I was being attacked, my heart was going haywire, beating too fast.

I felt pressure on my back followed by a sharp pain, and I screamed. Tears fell down my face as I hyperventilated, my heart quickening more and more as I continued to take in too many breaths to fill my lungs that felt like they were on fire.

Suddenly the pressure on my back was gone and I heard horrible snarls and booms somewhere a few feet from me.

But I didn't bother to pay attention, because my vision started to blur and darken as my heart started to slow down, the beats too far apart to be safe.

The last thing I saw before I fell unconscious was a figure walking up to me, and then the darkness pulled me under.


	9. Confusion

Everything hurt. And I mean _everything_.

My head ached as if someone was hitting it with a jackhammer, my arms and legs felt like they were on fire, my chest felt as if it were slowly being torn open from the inside.

But it was my back that hurt the most.

It felt as if it was attacked by a cheese grater, then drowned in salt to burn it, and then stabbed repeatedly.

I let out a groan and rolled over onto my side, cringing in the process. Where was I anyway? I didn't hear anything but the tick tock of a clock somewhere, and my own heartbeat that echoed in my ears.

"Ugh… I feel like crap…" I croaked, my throat burning with dehydration. What had happened? I remember answering the door, and Jacob was there… then being attacked by a giant wolf. I didn't even know they could get that big! Then I was being crushed to death while having one of my episodes, fighting from somewhere in the distance, and then passing out.

Well, that cleared things up…. Didn't it? Not…

I forced my eyes opened, and at first I had to blink a couple of times from the light. It wasn't from the sun, mind you, in fact, it was dark out the windows. It was the light overhead that was so insanely bright.

I pushed myself up into a sitting position and hissed through my teeth when my right arm screamed in protest. I lifted it up to my face to examine it.

My arm was wrapped tightly with gauze that seemed stained with blood, which made me sick to my stomach. I was never one to enjoy the sight of blood, especially when it was _my _blood. I got it from Mom.

I let my arm fall down to my side and lifted up my shirt to see that my upper torso was also wrapped up, no doubt from being clawed on the back.

I pulled my shirt back down and looked around where I was. The room I was in was decorated like the early 1900s, cream colored furniture pressed against the wall. On one side was a giant plasma screen TV that looked like it cost more then our house did. To one side was a hallway, and I could barely make out the beginning of a staircase from the side. The kitchen was on the left, and from what I could tell, it was decorated the same way this room was.

"Ok…." I rubbed my head with my hands. "Either this is a very descriptive dream… or I'm dead…." But then I blinked. "But I thought you didn't feel any pain when you're dead…?" I twisted my head to the side when I saw something move from the corner of my eyes, but there was nothing there. I chewed my lip worriedly. "… I'm going insane." I concluded and shook my head, which made the headache that was coming on worsen.

But then something came to mind.

"Oh my g0d, Mom!" Before I realized it, I was getting up from the couch, stumbling to keep my balance. What if that wolf got her?! If it didn't, then how will she react when I'm not home?!

I started for wherever the front door was, but, thanks to Mom, I tripped over my own foot and saw the ground coming toward me. See, after all the years of tripping, when you have a klutz for a Mom, you tend to get used to suddenly falling. So thankfully I didn't gasp, but merely closed my eyes and waited for the floor.

And guess what? It never came. All I felt were two parts of my stomach held by something extremely cold.

Astonished, I opened my eyes and saw that the coldness was coming from to arms that looked as white as snow. So that must mean…

I lifted my head up and saw Jasper Hale looked at me with those strange colored eyes of him. I blinked a few times as we stared at each other, until I finally said something.

"… Where the h3ll am I?"

He smiled crookedly at that, which left me a little dazed, and helped me to stand up straight again.

"You're at my house." He replied. "I had been coming over to ask you something when I saw some bear on you. So lucky for me I had my brother there and we got it off of you." I blinked. So it wasn't a wolf after all? But… its features seemed distinctively like that of a wolf…

"You were badly injured," He continued on, pulling me out of my thoughts. "And we brought you here to our father who's a doctor."

"Oh…" Was my brilliant reply as I rubbed my forehead. "Thanks… I thought I was done for back there…" I murmured.

"The rest of my family has wanted to meet you," He said and smiled again. "That's why we were coming over." I nodded my head slightly. "Go ahead and sit down, I'll go get them." He walked, or more like danced, out of the room, leaving me in my confused state. I sat back down on the couch I had been sleeping on and stared down at my hands, suddenly anxious about what is to happen next.

What if his family didn't like me? I wouldn't be surprised that much. I mean, I _am_ constantly on the edge of death, so who wouldn't not like me? Other then Mom, of course…

I squeezed my hands together until my already white knuckles went whiter, and I stopped just in case my skin tore. Wouldn't be surprising with who I have for a Mom.

I smiled faintly at that. She always trips on air or stumbles at the bottom of the stairs, it's a wonder how she can trust herself with cooking. I shook my head as I remembered when she tripped and spilled hot water all over the kitchen floor. It took us forever to clean it all up.

Somebody cleared their throat a few feet from me and I jerked my head upward, making my headache throb.

The same five people from school stood in front of me, along with two new ones who I guessed were the parents, yet they didn't even look that older then the others.

"Everyone, this is Charity." Jasper stated.

"Charity, this is Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle, Esme, and Edward." He pointed to each one as he said their name, and I said hello to each.

Alice seemed excited, Emmett just grinned, Rosalie had a frown on her face, both Carlisle and Esme gave me a smile hello, and Edward looked at me with unreadable eyes.

"We've wanted to meet you for a while, Charity," Carlisle said, his voice like chimes just like Jasper's.

Oh, right. Carlisle was the doctor who was supposed to be really great. That thought made me laugh in my head. Like I said before, if a doctor can't find out what I have, I don't consider them great.

Edward's eyes tightened slightly as he stared me down, and I fidgeted under his gaze uncomfortably. I never was good with being the center of attention…

Jasper shot Edward a look, and he turned his gaze away from me, for which I was grateful.

Esme, as if she could sense the tension in the air, spoke up. "How is your back, dear?"

I moved slightly and felt that it still burned.

"It hurts." I said simply and rolled my neck to get the kinks out of it.

"I wouldn't be surprised…" Esme said and smiled sadly. "When the boys came they found you in pretty bad condition. You lost a lot of blood." I shivered at that slightly and bit the inside of my cheek.

"Thanks for your hospitality." I said and hesitantly stood up, holding in a cringe from the ache. "I should probably get home before my Mom has a heart attack that I'm not there."

"When does she get home?" Carlisle now said, the others leaving so that I was with the parents.

"Around 11:30." I replied.

"Oh my…" Esme murmured, and I blinked.

"What?"

"It's five till…" Carlisle said, so I looked to the clock.

"Oh crap…"

"Don't worry," Esme said and smiled to me. "We'll have Edward drive you home," Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, he was standing at the kitchen door with a hard glare.

"_What_?" He almost hissed, and it made me flinch back. Was it that bad to be near me…? Esme looked to him with her eyebrows raised, and it was like they were having a silent conversation.

"_Fine_." He spat out and walked out of the room. I frowned slightly. Well, that makes me feel welcomed…

Carlisle looked to me with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about my son's actions. He's been going through a lot lately." I just nodded my head slowly. They both said goodbye to me and I walked out of the room, seeing Edward leaning against the door frame. When he caught sight of me he stood up straight and walked out of the house, and I had to keep up with him, luckily though not enough to need to run.

We walked over to the same Volvo I had seen them in earlier, and he slipped in. I slowly followed suit and got into the passenger side.

The car purred to life as I put my seatbelt on and he pulled out of the driveway, going down a gravel path that quickly turned into dirt. Trees loomed over us and I suddenly felt small under them, and I slumped back slightly.

It was obvious to me that Edward hated me, no doubt loathed me. I sighed. He probably heard all those rumors…

Throughout the whole drive, we were completely silent, and he kept glancing at me every few seconds. Probably checking to make sure I wasn't too close to him.

After what felt like an eternity, he pulled beside my house, and I let out a silent sigh of relief.

"Here we are." He said, his voice seemed strained. I nodded and took off my seatbelt, pushing open the door and stepping out into the pleasant cold. Almost the instant I stepped onto the lawn he shot out back onto the road, disappearing into the distance. I frowned to myself.

"Such a pleasant young man…" I muttered bitterly to myself and trudged inside the house.

When I got inside I tore off my clothes and changed the gauze on my upper torso and arm, like Carlisle had told me to before I left. I pulled on some shorts and a T-shirt and pretty much collapsed onto the bed, which made me groan from the pain it sent into my back.

I was almost asleep when I saw the lights of Mom's Honda pulling into the driveway through my window, and then I drifted off into sleep, thinking about my day.


	10. Forbiddened

**I am SO sorry for suddenly dying on you guys! D: I didn't know what to make for the next chapter... and things started to come up. I SWEAR I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't happen again! I'm sorry! ..... AGAIN! ;o;**

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It was difficult to sleep that night, since even the slightest movement would send a wave of pain over me. I'm pretty sure I got about… three hours of sleep at the very most.

When my alarm went off, I was already awake. I hit the snooze button and carefully sat up, hissing from the pain it caused. How was I going to explain this to Mom? She wouldn't believe that I got attacked by a bear and was saved by the new kids. Heck, even I don't believe it!

I got up from bed and wrapped my blanket around my body, hoping that Mom wouldn't question it. But have you ever heard of me having a fraction of luck?

Walking out of my room, I could faintly smell breakfast being cooked, and slowly stepped into the kitchen. Mom looked to me and blinked.

"Honey, why are you wearing that blanket?" She asked and dried her hands on a towel. I chewed my lower lip, trying to think of a decent excuse.

"Uh… It's really soft…?" Sadly, it came out as a question, not a statement. She gave me a stern look, walking over.

"I've taught you better then to lie, Charity." She said. "Now, why are you really wearing that blanket?" She didn't give me a chance to speak, however, and pulled off the blanket. Needless to say her face took on the look of absolute horror. "Charity!" She cried out, staring at my bandaged arms. "What happened to you?!"

I swallowed hard, feel a lump form in my throat. Then a perfect excuse came to my mind.

"I was out in the back and I tripped into a thorn bush." I said, and I found myself wrapped in her arms. I could feel something wet soaking into the back of my shirt, and I turned my head slightly to see that Mom was crying. Was it really that bad…?

"Please, _please_ be more careful," She whispered softly and kissed the top of my head. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." Guilt enveloped me, but it morphed to anger. She was talking about Dad, that's why she was so sad. How many times is he going to ruin our life?!

"I'm sorry, Mom." I said, feeling tears prick the corner of my own eyes. "You know how clumsy we are." I tried to cheer her up, and she smiled a sad smile.

"That's true. Only God knows how many times I've fallen in my life." She said and rubbed my gauze-covered arm. She walked over to the oven and continued with preparing breakfast. I blinked, staring at her. Was it really going to be that easy? Huh, maybe there is some luck in my life.

However, the moment I sat down, Mom said, "Oh and you're not going to school."

I looked up at her, eyes wide. "What? Why not?!"

She turned to stare at me as if I grew a second head. "You're injured, honey. There's no way I'm letting you go to school in this condition." I sighed heavily and let my head fall onto the table with a _thump_. I heard her sigh followed by a plate being set next to my head. "I'm sorry, dear. But I can't risk you getting hurt again when I'm not around." I lifted my head and stared at the plate, stabbing an egg with the fork.

"… Alright Mom, I understand…"

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Ok, so I was bored, tired, and in pain. I've already finished my homework, watched all the recordings we had on the TV, and even did the laundry! I _never_ did the laundry… ever. That's how bored I was. Luckily Mom would be home in about five seconds.

As if I was psychic or something, I heard Mom's car pull up. I heard the door open from my position on the couch, stretched out. "Hi, sweetie," She said and walked over, smiling softly to me. "How are you feeling?"

I carefully sat up, forcing a small smile. "Alright, a little pain here and there, but alright." I said and stood up. "How was work?"

"Fine," She replied and took her coat off. Neither of us were much talkers, something she got from her Dad, and I from her. It was rather difficult for us to make conversation, if you haven't figured out by now.

"Cool," I stood up and walked over to the bathroom, grabbing some Ibuprofen and taken a couple.

"I'm making mash potatoes for dinner, ok?" She called from the kitchen.

"Ok!" I called back and walked out to the living room. I know mash potatoes doesn't sound like something great to have for dinner, unless there's turkey or ham to go with it, but to us it's something we don't have that often. Usually she forgets to buy the things needed for it, which are technically the potatoes.

I watched TV for about half an hour as she made dinner, and went into the kitchen when Mom finished. The mash potatoes smelled great, and it made my stomach growl. Mom laughed. "I guess you're hungry," She said as I flushed in embarrassment.

"Yeah…" I murmured and sat down. I reached over for the toast, grabbed a piece and stacking some mash potatoes on it. Yeah, I know it sounds gross, but not being able to eat certain things, you discover stuff that actually tastes good.

"So….." She began. I looked up from my plate, my mouth half full with toast and potatoes. I swallowed before answering, "So… what?"

"…. How were you able to patch yourself? I know that you wouldn't be able to handle it by yourself…"

Well, I wasn't expecting that to happen… Dang I should've thought out a better lie…. "Um…" I sighed. Might as well tell the truth; it couldn't hurt, right? "Apparently one of the new students…. Came over to have some help with homework, and he found me, so I was taken to their Dad."

"How come you've never told me what they look like?"

"You never asked…." I mumbled, looking down and stabbing my fork into the potatoes.

"What's their names?"

"…. Uh…." I racked my brain to see if I could remember their old-fashioned names, pulling my eyebrows together. "…. Well, the one that came over, his name's Jasper." She paused with her spoon in front of her open mouth. "He has a girlfriend um…. Alice." Her face looked a bit paler.

"What do they look like?" She barely breathed.

"Jasper's tall, kinda skinny looking…. Blond hair all frizzled. Alice's tiny, almost like a midget, and has short black hair…" Her spoon clanked down onto her plate, a sudden silence hanging over both of us. She looked as if she has just seen a ghost. "… Mom? You alright?" She shook her head, a slight panicked look crossing over her face.

"Are there any more? What do they look like?" She asked in a rushed tone.

"… There's a really beefy guy, looks like he bench presses a bunch. He has short black hair too… A girl with long blond hair, really pretty…. And-"

"And who else?!" Her voice rose, eyes wide. I leaned back.

"U-um…. This other guy… he has kinda reddish hair…" She stared at me in horror, and I couldn't comprehend what was so wrong suddenly.

She swallowed hard, looking down. "… You can't speak to them anymore…" She murmured, leaving the kitchen before I could even get a word in. I was just left there, clueless about her actions…

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Days passed by in a boring blur, Mom avoiding me every time I would walk into the same room as her. I could always hear her crying in her room at night, even if she was trying to be quiet about it.

Eventually I was able to talk to her and persuade her into letting me go to school again, which is why I'm here now sitting in class at the beginning of the week, learning about plants. Yay…

Fortunately for me, I did have this class with any of the Cullen's. When I had wandered into Alice and Jasper, I had to say that I needed to go to the restroom, just to avoid them. I'm pretty sure they're getting suspicious, mainly because I nearly started running just to get away…. And that I passed right by the bathroom…

Anxiousness crept into me the closer lunch got, to the point where I had to leave the class and get my heart under control. Fleeing from them was an act of panic, not because Mom said I had to stay away from them, and I knew that if they saw me again, they'd demand for a reason why.

How could I explain that for some reason my apparently hair-brained mother doesn't want me to talk to them, for no good purpose?

The bell rang then, pulling me out of my thoughts. I groaned to myself as I packed my things, walking out of the classroom just like everyone else. I went into the cafeteria, scanning the large and crowded room for the group of five. So far so good…

I went over to my usual table, sitting down considerably slow onto the seat. It looks like they ditched… must be my lucky day for once.

"Hey, Charity." Sucks how things work, doesn't it?

I looked up slowly from my salad, dreading who had spoken to me. Low and behold, Jasper stood there with Alice next to him. "Can we sit down with you?" Alice asked in the chiming voice of hers, smiling. I couldn't help but nod my head stiffly, and they both sat down with their lunch trays.

"It's good to see that you're looking better." Jasper commented, nodding to the purple scars on my arm.

"Heh… yeah, though I could've gone without the decoration…" I murmured, stabbing a piece of lettuce. I suddenly lost my appetite…

Again luck shined on me for a moment, because they never brought up the subject of why I ditched them. Instead, they told me about the humorous things that I've missed while I was away. Like two guys got into a fight and fell into a mud puddle, but kept going at it until they were covered in leaves and other debris. I had to admit, that actually made me laugh. It was like payback for the things in the past.

Eventually, though, I had to bring up a question that was bothering me. "How come you two aren't sitting with the rest of your family?"

They looked to each other for a moment. "Well…. Emmett and Rosalie are… busy…" Alice said and coughed uncomfortably. I felt my face go a slight red. "And Edward's at the main office." Jasper added.

"Office? How come? Did he get in trouble?" Jasper shook his head.

"No…. he's changing classes."

I stared at him a little oddly. "… Why?"

"…. He's transferring to one of your classes." Alice murmured quickly.

"Oh I see…. Wait…. _WHAT_?"


End file.
